When the Autumn Moon is Bright
by Mia-Zeklos
Summary: Ianto and River are stuck in a parallel Universe and it looks like there's little they can do about it. Help, however, comes from an unexpected place. Sequel to As Certain Dark Things are to Be Loved and written by Writers Write's daily prompts.
1. Chapter One

**Author's Notes: Okay, this is going to be a long note.**

**First of all, sorry for the delay. Yesterday I got caught in a thunderstorm in a mountain and... Let's just say I got home a bit later and a bit more traumatised than expected, so I had to finish this today. **

**Second, this chapter was going to go just the way it went anyway, only I decided to do it with a book I've read – and its characters, naturally – because I thought that it would make better sense and also because I like making inside jokes with myself (and the resemblance and the parallels between Alec and Ianto in both canons are uncanny). I doubt any of you have read it – it isn't as popular as most of this type are – so it shouldn't be a problem. I'm not sure what fandom and characters to tag this chapter with, though - it has literally everything, so I'll just do what I can.**

**This is also significantly longer than my other chapters – those from Ianto's point of view are always like that. Not sure why. Also, if you were wondering, this is what the demon-hunting gear is supposed to look like (taken straight from the movie made for the book; it was full of mistakes but it got the clothes right): merissafaye,files,wordpress,com,/2013/09/goth-pic-goth_2649704b,jpg Just remove the commas.**

**That being said, I like how the conclusion turned out and I hope you enjoy it as well.**

_Two days earlier_

"What do you think of this one?"

Ianto lifted his eyes from his own clothes to look at River's dress. It was knee-length and white, with frills on it and a black corset with several brass buckles which could also be found on her black leather boots. He nodded in approval. "Perfect. We'll fit right in."

"You're not too bad yourself." She tugged at the hem of his shirt. It was black and skintight and accompanied by trousers from similar material – not that Ianto had no idea what that material would be – a black floor-length coat and combat boots that his trousers were stuffed in. "Leather suits you. You should try it more often."

Ianto nodded again, his eyes still fixed on her clothes rather than his and River kept going, apparently not noticing – or minding – the fact that he was trying to make eye contact somewhere south from her jaw. "So, here's the plan – we go in, we get the guns, and if they're not charged, we take the teleport to the next planet. Plenty of chronon energy there; it's basically floating in the air so it won't be hard. Understood?"

"Understood."

"Off we go then."

**o.O.o**

As it turned out, the guns weren't charged. It didn't stop either of them from staring at the weapons they'd came here from as if they were things of shining beauty, though, and soon enough they'd got them and headed for the teleports. They didn't look very trustworthy and Ianto said so while he stepped on the platform just as he felt the Time Ring suddenly burn around his wrist and, before he could shout at the man to stop the teleport, they were already sent to their destination.

As far as teleports went, this wasn't the most pleasant one Ianto had experienced. The ride was bumpy and, considering that it consisted of being scattered into atoms and then put together again, there was something to be said about that, so the moment they landed was one of great relief.

Relief which quickly faded at the realisation that they weren't where they were supposed to be.

"I didn't think there were forests here," Ianto muttered, taking in his surroundings. The wind was cool and gentle, and leaves were falling all around them. It seemed to be the middle of the night, and a clear one at that – the moon was the only thing that threw light over them. "I swear to God, if we've ended up in Narnia..."

River scoffed, "Not likely." and then, as she took the time to look around too, visibly paled. "I know where we are. This... this is Central Park."

Ianto wanted to ask what was so wrong with Central Park, but the chance was taken away from him when he felt something sharp press against his back. "Don't move," a firm voice said in his ear and, by seeing that River had frozen next to him from the corner of his eye, Ianto supposed that she was in similar position. "Turn around slowly."

"Not move or turn around? Make up your mind." He couldn't resist, really, and the condescending attitude made him seem more confident than he currently felt.

A hand gripped his shoulder and turned him around forcibly and Ianto find himself staring into a pair of blue eyes on a face completely identical to his own. Actually, the whole body was like that, save for the hair which was ruffled and sticking in all directions, unlike Ianto's carefully arranged one, and the shocked expression that flicked through him.

"Oh," he said, then quickly let go of Ianto. "_Oh_. Are you two from One?"

"What?" Ianto asked, frowning, then looked down. The weapon that had been pressed against his back was an arrow as the young man lowered his bow. "No, I don't–"

"They're human," a voice cut in as the girl that had been holding River, only her weapon had been a blade of some sort. "About thirty-fifth century, if we consider the clothes, Earth origin."

"Wrong," River said, now turning around to face her captor too. "Also wrong and..." she seemed to consider the Earth part. "Mostly wrong."

"Then what?" Ianto's twin asked. "You aren't demons; the sensor would have caught it. You've just come through the Rift and that's, well..."

"Impossible," the girl – probably his sister, if the long dark hair and pale skin were anything to go by – finished. "So you're not demons, but you're not human also, and we assumed you've found a way to come in here and help us."

"Help you?" River asked, slowly lowering her hands when the girl tucked her weapon back into her belt. "What with?"

"Are you from Torchwood?" The man insisted again and Ianto noticed some kind of desperation in his voice. "We've been waiting for years. Longer than I can remember."

"We are," Ianto said carefully. "Well, I am. Torchwood Three, Cardiff. Does it ring a bell?"

The man nodded tentatively. "Yes. What happened to One? Why didn't they send people?"

"Long story and we weren't sent here; it was an accident. I'm Ianto Jones." He offered his hand – mostly trying to use it as a peace offering too – and after a moment of hesitation, his twin returned it. "Alec Lightwood. This is my sister, Isabelle."

River gave a small nod in his direction. "River Song. Is this a parallel Universe of some sort? The transfer to here felt like a trans-dimensional one and plus, the two of you..." she gestured between Alec and Ianto.

"It must be trans-dimensional; we have no teleports here," Isabelle said, then offered a small smile. "I'm sorry for the greeting. We expected demons, not help."

"Nobody's hoping for help anymore," a third voice cut in and Ianto turned around to see a woman nearing them. He immediately knew that she had to be Isabelle and Alec's mother; the relation was visible. She nodded to the both of them. "But here you are anyway so if you could come through, maybe you'll have the technology necessary to help." She sighed, lowering her eyes and Ianto briefly wondered what could have happened to make them all so broken here. "I'm Maryse Lightwood, head of Torchwood Four. And I think we have some explaining to do."

**o.O.o**

They were sitting in the vast library of a cathedral in the middle of New York – which was, apparently, what they called an alien-fighting institute here – and Maryse had been giving them all the information she could for the past hour and a half. Most of it had been history until now and she was just getting to the problem they've been waiting help for.

"We had Rift activity once, twenty-five years ago," she was saying, fiddling with the ring around her finger. "It was big and we couldn't handle it, so we tried to contact the other institutes, but everything we tried failed. All the communications went off and, before we even knew it, we were here. A Universe away from home, with the whole of Torchwood Four moved here, and with a demon causing a Time Loop every time we kill it. And the worst part is, no one but us knows it."

"You keep saying that," River cut in. "Demons. What exactly are they?"

"They're creatures from another dimension," Alec said quickly and with the air of someone who knew a lot and liked to show it. Ianto tried to hide his smile. "They never really die, just go back to their home world once we kill them, then they come back... it's a never ending circle."

"So you've been facing the same demon again and again for _twenty-five years_?" Ianto asked incredulously. "Every day, just so it can start the loop again?"

"We get other demons as well; they come in all the time. And plus, it's a Prince of Hell," Maryse said edgily. "Do you have any idea what the death toll would be if we let it on the loose? No one here save for me, my husband and Alec were born when we first fought him and we didn't get as much as a blip to show us that someone back home was doing something to help. I lost my youngest son in battle with him. What choice do we have?"

Ianto looked around the table and realised that she was right. Alec was his age, meaning that he'd been one when the transfer had happened. His sister was twenty-two, and the several people who had joined them were around that age as well. Jace was twenty-five, but he'd been born here to two Torchwood employees that had later died on a mission and it had resulted in the Lightwood family adopting him, as Isabelle had explained on their way to Torchwood. Clary and Simon were two new additions to the Institute, both twenty-four and born in this dimension.

"Mum's right," Jace said. He was the adopted brother of Alec and Isabelle (and a boy called Max who was probably the lost son Maryse had mentioned, even though the name had been thrown into the conversation a few times before that) and he was as different from them as he could be – blond, with eyes that could be described with nothing but 'golden'. "We don't have a choice. We thought you could help, though. I think Magnus has arrived."

Ianto and River both raised their eyebrows at the unrelated remark, but Alec stood up just as the door of the library opened. "Did you find everything?" He said instead of 'hello' and Ianto couldn't help but stare at the man that appeared in the doorway.

He was tall – possibly even taller than Ianto himself, and that hardly ever happened – and his hair was ink-black, but that wasn't the most fascinating thing about him. His eyes were somewhere between green and yellow and instead of pupils had two black slits, like a cat's. He leaned against the door and scratched his neck as every gaze in the room locked on him expectantly.

"I went through the weapons," he said with an accent Ianto couldn't place. Indonesia, probably? "But I didn't recognise anything. Sorry." Without waiting for an invitation, he neared the round table and made himself comfortable in the only spare chair, then looked around and when he spotted Ianto and River, a smile curled his lips. "Oh, hello. It was mentioned that there were additions, but I didn't expect another you, Alec. I would have come faster."

Alec's face reddened. "I'm sorry about him. He's–"

"– been waiting for this to happen. I'm Magnus Bane." Hi grip on Ianto's hand was warm and firm. "Nice to meet you."

"Ianto Jones," the Time Lord said with a polite smile, even though all he wanted was to ask about the man's eyes and, possibly, about his origins as well. "Nice to meet you too."

Magnus clapped his hands, delighted. "An accent, too! You didn't mention it."

"I told you everything relevant to their species," Alec said under his breath, apparently worried by the smug grin Jack threw his way.

"Bah, relevant," Magnus snorted. "Look at them! Who cares about the two hearts?" He turned to River. "Because I bet that even two hearts wouldn't be able to endure such beauty, miss...?"

"River Song," she said with an intrigued smile. "Pleased to meet you."

"Could you focus on the matter at hand, please?" Maryse said tersely. "I didn't let a Warlock into my institute so he could make a social call."

"_He_ is in the room, Maryse, and he's also not your servant," Jace snapped and Ianto noted absent-mindedly that he and Alec seemed to have some connection stronger than that between brothers and he wondered if the strange markings on their arms had something to do with that. Jace looked at River and Ianto, ready to offer an explanation. "Magnus is Alec's boyfriend and most of his manners hadn't evolved past the nineteenth century. He makes us all vaguely embarrassed, but we love him anyway. Mother dearest just doesn't like Warlocks."

"A Warlock." Ianto turned to look at River forlornly. "We _are_ in Narnia." Only Clary, Simon and Magnus seemed to get the joke, which made Ianto think that Torchwood Four was even more cut off the world outside than Three had been.

"Okay, then," Alec said, suddenly all business. "I showed Magnus your weapons and he can't find a way to charge them, so we'll have to try magic. River, go with Jace and Isabelle so they can show you everything we've got so you can contact the back-up you mentioned. Magnus, try to do something with the guns. Clary, can you think of a rune to enhance their abilities? I've never seen weapons like these before, so they might help. Ianto, with me."

Maryse stood up and Ianto wondered if there was an actual leader or if they had been more like the hierarchy in Two – all chaos and weird aliens and little organisation. "Alec, you're not in charge here."

"Yes, I am," he said curtly. "Nobody did anything about that for twenty-five years so, if they can change something, I'm willing to try." And with that, he abruptly spun on his heel and left the room, apparently expecting Ianto to follow, which he did after a glance at River to assure himself that she'd be all right.

"Now," Alec started once they were out of the library. "Explain how this works."

Ianto frowned. "How what works?"

"You and me," Alec gestured between them. "This. How can we be the same? You're not my alter ego; we were born in the same universe."

Ianto shrugged. "It's happened before, with a friend of mine. Or, well, that's what the Doctor says."

"The Doctor?"

"He's the back-up. I think if you're exposed to the Rift for long periods of time, sometimes it can create a sort of an echo. And that's if you're close to it. I _fell_ in the Rift."

"So I'm the alter ego," Alec said darkly. "Like an alternative possibility of your life, right?"

"You're smart," Ianto said approvingly, then added as a second thought, "Actually, you're me. Of course you're smart. That's how it works, yes. I think."

"But..." Alec gulped. "I'm human, right? And you're not. How does _that_ happen?"

They had reached a door that Alec unlocked and, upon entering it, Ianto supposed that it was the man's room. "I'm not sure. But... just give me a second." He fished through the pockets of his coat – now he could see why Jack wore one of these all the time, the pocket space was infinite – and took out his phone. "I can check."

"What's that?" Alec asked, intrigued, as he reached to touch it. Ianto let him. "It looks like a sensor, but upgraded."

"It was just a phone," Ianto admitted. As much as he wanted to make the Men in Black impression, he somehow thought that Alec wouldn't be all that impressed by it. Ianto knew himself well enough to know that as well. "But I modified it, so it's a lot of things now, including a scanner. Give me a moment... Yes. Human. You've got only one life." He looked up from the screen. "You might live a long time, mind."

Alec was suddenly on guard. "How long, exactly?"

Ianto shrugged. "I give it five hundred at most."

"Will I grow older?"

"Not really. Not until the last several decades."

Alec's face suddenly lit up and Ianto immediately picked up what was going on. "The Warlock – Magnus – he's immortal, right?"

Alec nodded. "He is. And I was always afraid–"

"Tell me about it."

Alec laughed and Ianto was pretty sure that he was too happy to ask questions, so he sat on the bed and watched his double look for something in his wardrobe.

"You need clothes," Alec said over his shoulder. "Mine will fit you, of course, and we're going to wash yours in the meantime." He turned around to look at Ianto. "Do you want gear or civilian clothes?"

"Gear," Ianto said decisively. Just looking at Alec was enough to tell him that he wouldn't like any civil clothes he could give him.

"I checked you out," Alec said thoughtfully as Ianto put on the clothes, which consisted of clothes very much like the ones he'd been wearing when he'd arrived – black leather trousers, a black t-shirt and a vest that had places for weapons just about everywhere. He got to keep the boots.

"I noticed," Ianto said and Alec rolled his eyes, "I meant Time Lords. I checked in several books we've got on mythology, and you appear here and there. But, after all, all the stories are true, right? I can't say you're a myth when you're standing right in front of me. It's the motto of Torchwood Four," he added at Ianto's inquisitive look. "'All the stories are true'. Reminds that if someone's written or spoke about it, it has most likely existed."

"Clever of you," Ianto said as he finally finished with his clothing. "Now let's get to work."

Alec looked surprised. "What with? I thought we were waiting for back up."

"No more waiting," Ianto said decisively. "It's time to get you lot out."

**o.O.o**

A day and a half had passed – which meant that the Time Loop had restarted itself thrice – and they were finally making some kind of progress. When they were wearing the same clothes, nobody bothered trying to figure out which one was Ianto and which was Alec, especially since they were all so busy. People still went out to fight the demons – and the particular one that was at fault for the loop – but Torchwood Four actually happened to be significantly better staffed than Three. They weren't even close to One's proportions, but it was still quite big compared to the 'five people at most' situation Ianto was used to.

The device they were building was taking up half of one of the empty rooms of the institute and everyone was working on it with everything they had with River and Ianto as leaders of the operation. Simon – who had been the most recently employed – was actually surprisingly good with technology, as was Isabelle. Clary had the power to draw some of the marks – runes, Alec had called them – that Ianto had seen tattooed on them, and it seemed to help make the process faster.

"Ianto?" River called out and Ianto froze in the middle of connecting two wires together. "Yeah?"

"Oh. Sorry." There was a pause. "Alec? Come give me a hand here. I think we almost got them. Ianto?"

"Ready when you are."

"Okay. Go!"

Ianto touched the two wires together without giving it much more thought and just then, he heard some noises coming from above – and it especially resembled what the mall in the Vegas Galaxies had sounded like.

"Has it worked?" he asked, pulling himself from under the machine. "Can you see them?"

"Not exactly... wait! Yes!" The relief in River's voice was clear and Ianto got up to his feet quickly, staring at the screen they'd made just as the picture stabilised and Jack and the Doctor showed up. He heard the excitement of the people behind him and could feel his own hope finally blossom. Soon, everyone would be home.

**o.O.o**

Seconds after their conversation ended, Jack appeared in the middle of the room in a small cloud that smelled like ozone and melted machinery and Ianto found himself being pulled into an embrace and then a frantic kiss before he could figure out what was going on.

"You found us," he gasped as soon as Jack let go of him and saw the Captain smile blindingly back at him. "Of course I found you. I'll always find you." He pulled back, staring at Ianto with mild curiosity and appraisal. "What are you wearing?"

Ianto suddenly felt very warm. "Not exactly the time, Captain. The TARDIS can break a Time Loop, right?"

"Yes, the Doctor's supposed to be here in just a– There's _two_ of you!" He was looking just behind Ianto's shoulder now and the Time Lord's mouth curled into a smile, "Don't you start. We've heard that one already. Jack, welcome to Torchwood Four. Everyone, this is Jack Harkness. And – drum roll please – this is the man who will save us all."

Jack opened his mouth to thank him and Ianto shook his head just as the TARDIS started to materialise right beside them.

"It's true, then." Maryse Lightwood stepped forward and touched the side of the TARDIS. "What they said in One. The Doctor does exist."

"Of course I exist!" She quickly stepped back when the door opened. "Has anyone been saying anything else? River!" The Doctor came out of the TARDIS and pressed River against himself with a small, serene smile as his fingers threaded through her hair and Ianto briefly wondered if that was what he and Jack had looked moments ago. The Doctor kissed her forehead, then stepped back and looked around the room. "Now! Time to bring everyone back home before the walls close."

"What?" Isabelle approached him, then looked back at her mother. "We're _leaving_?"

"Of course we are," the Doctor responded instead of her. "What else were you waiting for? I thought you wanted to get out."

Maryse shook her head, bit her lip and her eyes danced between the Doctor and Isabelle. "I'll have to talk to your father," she said at least, leaving as quickly as she'd arrived.

"Is the Time Loop broken?" Alec asked, unsure. "That's a time machine, right? Now the time here's going to move properly." The Doctor nodded. "Then that's all we want," Alec said quickly. "I don't care what Mother says, we're not going back." Ianto looked around the room and saw that the statement was supported by everyone – some voiced it and others just nodded, but he could understand them – they'd spend their whole lives here; why would they want to leave now?

"All right," the Doctor said after a small pause, then turned to Jack, Ianto and River. "Come on then, you lot. We're going home." River didn't need to be told twice and Ianto made a mental note to ask her sometime what her problem with New York was. He himself turned to face the inhabitants of Torchwood Four. "Thank you," he said. He wasn't really one for speeches, but it seemed right to say something. "For all the help you gave us."

"No, thank _you_." Alec shook his hand, a small smile playing on his lips, only for it to grow wider when he glanced sideways. Ianto followed his gaze and saw Magnus and Jack leaning against the wall with identical hopeful expressions on their faces. He knew exactly what they wanted and when he turned to Alec and noticed the twinkling of the familiar blue eyes that, he supposed, mirrored his own.

"For their benefit," Ianto said officially an Alec nodded solemnly. "It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make," he responded and Ianto's laughter came to an abrupt end when Alec – Alec, who seemed so much shier than Ianto himself – brought Ianto forward by the lapels of his coat and pressed their lips firmly together for several moments, before they heard Jace mutter, "And everyone says that _I'm_ the self-absorbed one."

Ianto pulled back, too aware of the fact that his face was probably burning as much as Alec's. It was worth it, though, as he met Jack's eyes and saw him look like a kid on Christmas morning.

The Doctor looked vaguely disgusted and crowded Ianto against the TARDIS, practically manhandling him inside. "Come on, in you go. You've caused too much trouble today already."

"River initiated it," Ianto protested and heard Jack chuckle as he closed the door behind them.

"Oh, I don't doubt it," the Doctor grumbled. "You're all just–" He gestured wildly around himself and Ianto laughed, his hand snaking around Jack's waist as he felt the TARDIS pass the wall between the two Universes, closing it forever.

_Yes_, Ianto thought. The Doctor had been right. Everyone was finally home.


	2. Chapter Two

**Author's Note: Apparently, I gave in to my own desire to do it and will write a multi-chaptered sequel. I like prompts and I feel like having them is making my writing better, so I'll take up Writers Write's daily challenge this time. Prompts will be listed in the beginning of the chapter as usual and – a quick explanation on how it's going to work – the prompts that are addressed with 'you' will have a focus on Jack and the ones with 'your protagonist', on Ianto. Otherwise, pretty much everything will still be from Jack's point of view.**

**Sorry for the delay, by the way – FF NET decided to crash just when I was trying to upload this.**

**As for this prompt, I decided to use it rather literally and, considering where we were at the end of the other story, I think I need to introduce a certain someone (note: the timeline is only slightly altered so River has already met said someone). Also, for several chapters I'll try to keep it light-hearted because what I have planned by the end of the story is going to be painful, so... I hope you enjoy this one.**

**Write about the monsters under your bed.**

After the day – or several days; it depended on the point of view – they'd had, Jack had to admit that he would have been quite content with just going to bed and getting a good night's sleep but, as usual, it was not to be.

Something was moving under the bed, he was certain of it. The bed itself wasn't moving, but he could hear it inching closer and closer to the side of the bed frame where it could crawl out.

Jack didn't move – he was barely even breathing, really – and he didn't want to wake Ianto up, but he didn't seem to have a choice. The TARDIS was supposed to be a somewhat safe place and yet sometimes, things managed to get in. It wouldn't be the first time, so the Captain soundlessly reached to his right side and shook Ianto's shoulder gently.

He immediately woke up, already on guard and completely quiet, which only served to remind Jack of the military training which they'd both had – whatever the creature was, it didn't really stand a chance – and looked at Jack questioningly. Jack pointed to the bed – and, most importantly, tried to hint that there was something underneath – and Ianto listened for a few seconds before understanding dawned on his face. He reached carefully for the blaster on his nightstand – why he kept it there was beyond Jack – and his fingers closed around it carefully, then, like a snake attacking its prey, Ianto pushed himself off the bed, the blaster pointed straight under it. There were several moments of complete silence and then Ianto laughed softly, his head reappearing from under the bed.

"It's an incubus," he said, climbing back under the covers next to his lover. "Nothing to be scared of."

Jack didn't bother commenting the fact that incubi weren't supposed to exist – he'd long since realised that most Earth myths were based on different aliens – but he felt the need to point out the obvious. "Weren't those creatures the ones that such out your soul in your sleep?"

Ianto shook his head. "That's succubus. The incubus does the same, only with women."

"Then why is it here?" Jack hissed when the movement under the bed resumed. Ianto shrugged and snuggled closer to the Captain, resting his head on his lover's shoulder. "Who knows? Maybe it was just looking for a home. Leave it be."

Still a little wary, Jack tried to do just that and relax, so he shifted a bit until he could return Ianto's embrace. "Okay, then. Good night, Ianto."

Despite the position they were currently in, Ianto managed a quick peck on the Captain's lips. "Night, Jack."

**o.O.o**

"Oh my _God_!" The scream was enough to startle Ianto awake – just as the horror had done to Jack several seconds ago – and he sat up in the bed purely on instinct, "Jack?"

"I told you," Jack ground out, unnecessarily pointing – as if anyone could miss it – at the creature currently sitting on his chest. It was humanoid in shape and yet it looked like it was made out of black smoke. Its eyes were red and smouldering like coals and its tail was wrapped around Jack's wrist. "I told you, but no. You just had to have another potentially man-eating pet, didn't you?"

"Shut up," Ianto muttered. "I doubt it's going to hurt you – like I said, it's _woman_-eating. Maybe it's just looking for company."

"Poor misunderstood creature. Why don't you take– What the hell?" Jack asked, blinking hastily as the room was suddenly filled with light.

"My sentiment exactly," the Doctor said, voice sleepy and hoarse. His hair was sticking out in several different directions and he was wearing a dark blue night gown. "What's going on here? _Oh_." His face fell. "Well. That hadn't happened before. Jack, you're the only person who could lure an incubus in the TARDIS."

"Me?" Jack was incredulous. "What do I have to do with this? It was just here and Ianto encouraged it to make itself at home."

"I keep telling you, Jack," Ianto started, irritatingly calm and patronising if Jack's soul eventually getting sucked out was to be taken into account. "It wouldn't hurt a man."

"Like hell it wouldn't!" Jack snorted and his head snapped up when a new voice joined in from somewhere behind the Doctor's back, "What's the fuss about?"

A hand – Jack could only see the red manicured nails – wrapped around the Doctor's shoulder and pushed him out of the way. River had wrapped a sheet around herself and wore a curious expression on her face which quickly morphed into a grin when she saw the situation Jack had found himself into "Oh, look at _that_! I met one a few years ago, when I was still studying in Luna."

"Really?" The Doctor was apparently torn between being intrigued – every creature he'd ever encountered interested him, as far as Jack could tell – and disbelief. The Captain just raised a sceptical eyebrow her way and Ianto joined in, "Actually, she did I was there."

"When did_ that_ happen?" Jack asked, unsure if he had to be impressed or scarred for life. They had all got invested enough in the conversation that nobody noticed when the creature on Jack's chest started morphing, loosening its grip on Jack's wrist and crawling quickly over Ianto to retreat back under the bed.

"While we were still on Earth. I told you I hitched a ride with River every now and then."

"Oh, so you let me worry about you and wonder what's going on with you while you run about meeting incubi, is that it?"

"Oi! Can you lot keep it down?" Suddenly, a young woman appeared between River and the Doctor. She was short, dark-haired, dressed in grey pyjama bottoms and a red shirt, and was glaring at them all. "Us mere mortals need to sleep sometimes – oh. Well, I didn't expect us to meet quite like that."

Jack chanced a look at Ianto for help, but realised that his lover was just as lost as he was. River and the Doctor didn't seem surprised by her appearance, though, so Jack supposed that she wasn't just another intruder on the TARDIS tonight and, considering her last sentence, she'd heard something about them too. Jack came to the realisation that they, while under the covers, were still completely naked and saw the precise moment when Ianto came to the same conclusion when his sides flared red and he got a look that clearly said that he'd like to follow the incubus's example and crawl under the bed.

"Sorry," the Doctor said, scratching the back of his head, "The last few days were a bit busy and you know that I'm travelling by myself sometimes. I just forgot to mention." He nodded in the direction of the bed, then back at the woman in a way of introduction. "Ianto Jones, Jack Harkness... Meet Clara Oswald."


	3. Chapter Three

**Author's Notes: Like I said, lighter chapters for now – I'm trying to be kind before I dump the angst over your heads. I'm still sort of anxious about Clara – never written her before – so I really hope you like it.**

_**Begin with, 'This is not what it looks like...'**_

"This is not what it looks like!"

"If I had a dollar for all the times I've heard you use that line," Jack muttered as he sat down on the bed and watched Ianto as he tried to feed the strange, smoky creature fruits. Powerlessness took over him. Myfawny had been one thing, but this was too much. "Ianto, we can't keep it. And I'm pretty sure that this won't satisfy its hunger."

"I think it's kind of cute," Clara said. She was sitting on the floor next to Ianto and curiously stroked the incubus's head. "Not at all what I imagined these to look like, though. I thought they'd be like real people. You know, the succubus is a woman and the incubus is a man."

Ianto snorted. "How many fantasy novels have you read in the last several years?"

Clara pointed an accusing finger at him, "Don't judge me. I was just curious. I confiscated it from one of the kids I'm babysitting; she's too young for it."

"What book are we talking about here?" Jack put in. He was still amazed at the ease with which Ianto – the Time Lord Ianto, unlike the human version – made friends. He could find a topic for conversation with just about anyone and Clara was bright and funny, so Jack could guess why he liked talking to her – and this time, it was a good-natured sort of understanding. But then again, unlike it had happened with some other people he didn't want to mention, Ianto wasn't staring at her like she was the supreme goddess. Why their bedroom was suddenly invaded by things and people they'd only met in the middle of last night was a very different thing, though, was beyond him.

"I bet it's the Richelle Mead stuff," Ianto said and Clara nodded, "Is she still around in the future?"

"Oh, trust me, she is. I'm not from the future, though, I'm just from another planet."

"Really?" Clara's expression was suddenly calculating. "If you don't mind me asking... do you really have two hearts?"

Ianto nodded, still focused on the figs he was passing to the incubus. Much to Jack's surprise, it ate them immediately, then he noticed that Clara was looking at him questioningly too and shook his head. "No, not me. I'm the only human here."

"And what about the brain?" She asked and Ianto smiled, "What has the Doctor been telling you? I don't know about him, but I've only got one brain. You might want to step back." Jack shifted from his place on the end of the bed to stare past Ianto and Clara and to the incubus that was suddenly giving her a very interested look. "It does feed on women's energy after all." Clara quickly removed her hand from its head.

"How does it work, then?" She asked. "If it's not the way you see it in books."

"There isn't anything even remotely sexual about it, actually," Ianto said with the air o a professor giving a lecture. "While you sleep, it comes in your bed and feeds off the leftover energy your dreams produce. It's like... It's eating the possibilities your mind creates- dreams are our desires and our troubles that have been piling up throughout the day and even in sleep, the brain is working; the body is still full of energy and emotions and that's what it takes away. If it's starving, it might take a month of two from your life, but nothing extreme."

"A month or two are nothing if you have so much to give as you do," Clara said tentatively. "But I'm not willing to take the risk. The Captain there's right, though – how will you feed it here?"

"Oh, we can let it out occasionally, just not enough for it to cause trouble," Ianto said and Jack watched him as he gave the rest of the fruit to the incubus. "Eating human food'll make its need for that sort of feeding rarer, so it should be okay."

Jack sighed quietly. He had long since given up trying to force reason into a man who had been treating a pteranodon like a pet and had fed it dark chocolate lovingly instead of just throwing it some meat like the guard dog it actually was.

As much as he liked to pretend that he was annoyed, though, Jack could feel his heart warming up at the sight in front of him. It was amazing how, after all the pain and the heartbreak he'd encountered in his life, Ianto could still manage to be fascinated by things that would probably scare most people off; that he could still see the miracle in everything.

"So how did you end up here?" Jack asked Clara when she sat next to him to watch from afar. "Oh, you know. I got attacked by an alien mastermind – or something like that, most of it is a blur, because said mastermind uploaded me into a computer – and he asked me if I wanted to come with him. Then there were more aliens, we nearly died several times and I met River, but I hadn't heard of you two before. They've mentioned you, but I didn't know you lived here."

"We were the victims of an alien abduction," Ianto confided to her, his expression rather troubled and as serious as it could get. "The Doctor doesn't like to mention it, so run while you still can."

Clara turned to Jack. "How can you tell whether he's joking or not?"

"I can't," Jack said simply. "An advice from me – just never take him seriously. It's a win-win tactic."

"I'm not sure you can be abducted by aliens if you're an alien," Clara said thoughtfully.

"Oh, believe me, you can," Jack said quickly. "I remember that one planet–"

"Don't scare her off, Jack," Ianto admonished. "We're trying to make a good impression here."

"I'm not the one feeding a soul-eating demon," Jack said brightly just as the incubus hissed at Ianto and the Time Lord's face brightened.

"Oh, you could talk!" He seemed delighted and Jack bit back another remark about Ianto's complete lack of ability to choose pets. "Huh? Well, go, then! Just don't make a mess."

For a moment, it looked like the creature nodded before it got up to its feet and left the room, throwing one more longing look at Clara, only to have Ianto shake his head firmly.

Clara followed the incubus on its way out with her eyes, her expression wary and yet with some sort of scientific interest. Jack smiled, mostly to himself, as he realised that if she was to stick around, maybe she would brighten up the TARDIS after Amy and Rory had left – especially for River and the Doctor; he and Ianto hadn't known them all that well, after all – and that, perhaps, not all change was a bad one.


	4. Chapter Four

**Author's Notes: I'm very sorry for the delay; life got in the way. I hate it when it does that. Anyway, this came out longer than expected, and I'm cheating – again – because it isn't exactly a wedding ring, but it's as close as it's going to get, so... I hope you like it.**

_**Write about losing your wedding ring.**_

Jack was really trying not to panic and also – which was more important – not to let the panic show, because once it did, Ianto would know something was going on. In fact, from the not-so-little experience the Captain had with him, he already knew.

Jack quietly cursed under his breath while his hands groped under the cables of the console in hope to reach the desired object. As far as places for lost objects went, it didn't make a lot of sense, but he had looked everywhere else he'd been in the last day or so. There weren't many options left.

"Jack?" Recognising the voice coming from behind him, Jack immediately sprang to his feet. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing?" Ianto asked, his head inclined with a curious smile. "The Doctor said you're somewhere about and that you were being weird."

Good on the Doctor for being his usual tactless self exactly when Jack had needed a cover. He tried to smile and was aware that it was probably more of a grimace. "It's nothing. I just think I lost something. I can manage."

"You want me to help?" Ianto asked and, despite knowing that Ianto didn't have any ulterior motives – or, well, at least hoping that he didn't – Jack shook his head frantically.

"No! No, you don't need to bother." Ianto raised an eyebrow and Jack offered desperately, "You know that frozen planet I mentioned? Go tell the Doctor to get us there; I'll be up in a bit."

The look of disdain Ianto gave him clearly said, _I know you're up to something and I'll find out what soon enough_, but he disappeared up the stairs nonetheless and Jack only relaxed when he heard the muffled voices nearby the console.

Right then. Back to business.

Jack wondered if a metal detector would be of any help and whether the Doctor had any non-human around here, because he knew that what he was looking for didn't have any metal as humans knew them. As soon as the idea of going to ask appeared in his head, the Captain discarded it. It would attract too much attention. He had to deal with this quietly and gracefully.

**o.O.o**

The solution ended up being neither quiet nor graceful, and it wasn't even a real solution because it didn't deal with his problem. The only thing it did was annoy the Doctor and Ianto to no end and get him a scolding from the latter about the state of the console.

"Seriously, Jack, what's going on?" Ianto ground out as he nimbly reconnected the cables Jack had ripped out by accident. "What could you have possibly lost _here_?"

"Nothing," Jack muttered, defeated. "I just looked everywhere and I could find it, so I thought I'd check here too. You know, things like that happen. You lose something and then find it miles from the last place you've seen it."

Ianto sighed and pulled himself up, bringing Jack to him into an embrace. The Captain buried his head in Ianto's shoulder, having no desire to meet his eyes.

"What happened?" Ianto murmured gently and even though Jack knew that he was coaxing the truth out of him, he couldn't resist it much longer. "You can tell me. Even if it's something of my stuff, I promise I won't get mad. Just tell me."

Jack sighed and pulled away, his eyes focused somewhere vaguely in Ianto's direction. "A ring," he said, voice almost inaudible. "I lost a ring. And I can't find it anywhere. I thought about metal detectors, but they won't work because it's not from Earth."

"Oh." Ianto seemed surprised. "A ring? I haven't seen you wearing one. What does it look like?"

Jack felt his throat tightening. He couldn't bring himself to say a word. Ianto hated having any of his possessions touched without his permission; only God knew how he would react to _that_. "It a male ring, obviously." Jack gave a small, nervous laugh. "It looks like silver, but it isn't. It's... finer. There are two similar ornaments on both sides," he gestured to his own fingers as he tried to portrait it, "that look a bit like axes and there's a sapphire – or at least something similar – in the middle. It's bigger than the rest of the ring and it has its own ornaments, so it's like it's held from claws on all four corners."

Ianto's frown deepened and Jack waited with his breath held, wondering if he'd recognised the description or if he'd only confused him more. He'd done his best to describe it as accurately as he could, but he also knew that Ianto hadn't seen this particular ring in a very long time.

At last, Ianto shrugged. "I can't say I've seen it, sorry. Might ask the Doctor, though."

"I don't think that's a good idea," Jack said hastily. "He gave it to me and he'll be pissed if I tell him that I've lost it."

Ianto smiled. "You stay here, then. I'll drop the bomb." And before Jack could stop him, he was already marching up the stairs and the Captain felt like his insides had curled into a ball.

There was no one coming down for at least several minutes and Jack was just starting to worry when he heard the familiar (usually anticipated and now dreaded) sound of Ianto's boots as he briskly made his way downstairs. When he finally appeared into Jack's field of vision, he saw that the Time Lord's lips were pursed into a thin line, his expression was carefully neutral and apparently hard-won, and he was clutching something in his hand which he proceeded to dump into Jack's open palm. "There you go." All the warmth was missing from his voice and Jack sort of wished he had started shouting instead. No such luck, though; Ianto wasn't one for shouting. He didn't let his anger out in fire and rage; he made his point by several icily hissed words and it had a much bigger impact. Jack resisted the urge to run away.

He also wondered if it was too late to pretend that he didn't know that the ring was anything special and that he'd just liked it and decided to take it. He tried to sound casual. "Where did you find–"

"Don't bother."

Too late, then. "I'm sorry," Jack said quietly. "I really am; I had no right. But the Doctor said he'd found it in the library – you know that he's got everything there – and he showed it to me and I thought you wouldn't mind–"

"What exactly did he tell you about it?" Ianto asked, still perfectly calm. He didn't take his ring back, though, Jack noticed, and considered this a good sign.

"He said it was your family ring," Jack started carefully. "And that Time Lords don't take their parents's names, so the wealthier ones had rings instead, especially made for each member of the family – similar to each other with the only difference being between the male and female ones. He said he'd found it in the ruins in the last days of the War. He didn't know if it's yours, but he recognised the crest on the side.

"It's either mine or my father's." Ianto wasn't looking at him; his eyes were still stubbornly focused on the ground. "We were very similar to each other. But I'm pretty sure it's mine. Father wouldn't have removed it no matter what and I lost mine in battle, so it has to be it." He finally looked at Jack and the ring he was still holding in his open palm, then his gaze drifted over Jack's hand and the darker patch of skin on his ring finger. "I was wearing it on my middle finger; it was the custom."

"I tried to," Jack admitted, then clarified, "Wear it on the middle finger, that is. But it didn't fit." He waited a few seconds, but when Ianto didn't respond, Jack resorted back to apologising. "I'm really sorry. I should have brought it to you; I had no right to keep it. I just thought... I don't know what I was thinking."

"I think you did," Ianto said gently, his eyes locking with Jack's at last. "You knew what you were thinking and you _can_ keep it. I wasn't angry at you; it just brought back memories I didn't want to have. Or did want to have but wasn't ready to face, I'm not sure yet. But..." he took the ring from Jack's hand and carefully slipped it on his ring finger. "Exchanging family rings was a tradition – a bit old-fashioned by my time, but it was still done – that could be considered an equivalent to the engagement. Only it's not only one partner giving the ring to the other; it was on an 'I give you mine, you give me yours' principle."

"And what about the poorer families?" Jack asked, now honestly interested instead of trying to change the topic. Ianto shrugged. "I'm not sure. All the people of my squad were the ones I'd grown up with and the system was very similar to Earths – there are different parts of the city for the different, ah, levels of society. It wasn't something I questioned, because all my life my focus was on my training – after all, we all knew that there was a war coming – and so..."

Jack couldn't stop the chuckle from escaping. "One of the rich kids, weren't you?"

"Shut _up_," Ianto said bashfully, but then his attention focused on the ring on Jack's finger again. "I don't have one," Jack said and, when Ianto raised his head to look at him questioningly, added, "I don't have a family ring. I have nothing to give you in return."

Ianto smiled and it lit up his whole face. Jack only had a second or two to admire the rare display of unadulterated joy before Ianto leaned in to kiss him, lacing their fingers together. The Captain was suddenly very aware of the weight of the ring on his finger and wasn't surprised to realise that it was a welcome one. "Oh, Jack," Ianto said when he pulled back, their hands still entwined. "You have no idea how much you've given me."


	5. Chapter Five

**Author's Notes: This is a painfully obvious filler chapter before I get to the next five chapters which will be closely connected to one another. It's fluffy – sort of – and I'm not good at it, so I'd love to know what you think of it. The prompt was a bit fluff-oriented anyway, so I really couldn't do anything much different from it.**

_**Write about the sea, the moon, and a lonely figure on the beach.**_

The sand crunched under Jack's shoes as he made his way through the beach. It was dark enough for him not to see what – or who – was on the end of it, but the moon threw enough light over everything so he could see the utter blackness of the waves and the stones and empty shells that cluttered the place. It was an unfamiliar one, too, only not really; Jack was pretty sure he'd been here, only he couldn't exactly place when and where that _here_ was. The wind was warm and was caressing his skin; the sea was inviting him in with its quiet, soft waves. The sky was clear and he was pretty sure that they were on Earth and even though there was something so familiar about it all, he couldn't figure it out.

As he drew closer to the middle of the beach, Jack could see the outline of the lonely figure he'd been looking for. It was a man lying down on the sand with his hands under his head as he looked up at the sky. "Hey," Ianto greeted softly as he heard the Captain approaching him, then turned minutely so he could face him. "What's up?"

"You tell me." Jack lowered himself to the ground just as Ianto sat up and searched his face for anything that suggested a problem. He didn't find one; quite on the contrary, actually – he was calmer than ever. "What are you doing out here?"

"I wanted to go for a swim," Ianto said and shrugged and it was just then that Jack noticed just how wet he was. He was still wearing his trousers – Jack supposed that he'd thought it untoward to remove them on what was probably a public beach, even if it was night time – but he'd got rid of his shirt and tie and his milky white skin was almost shining on the silver rays of the moon. His hair was dishevelled and still dripping with sea water and Jack couldn't help but think that he'd never seen him more alive.

"I thought we had a pool," he offered anyway – not wanting to ruin the moment but also trying to hint at Ianto that he hated looking for it and not finding him anywhere, especially if they had parked on a particularly dangerous place – and the Time Lord grimaced, "It's too small." Jack was pretty sure it was close to the pools at the Olympics, but he didn't want to interrupt him again. "I don't like it. And plus, I needed a bit of a reminder."

There was a moment of silence and when he didn't elaborate, Jack prompted, "About what?"

"I'm not really sure," Ianto admitted and his eyes drifted over to the sea. "Just... I wanted to remember what it felt like to be here. It hasn't even been half a year and I lost all of my human memories, but I still missed this place."

"Where are we, exactly?" Jack asked curiously, still taking in his surroundings. "I was wondering about that. It seems... familiar."

Ianto gave a small laugh. "Porthcawl." At Jack's clueless expression, he continued, "Near Cardiff. People come here from half the country, but there's still enough space for everyone during the day because it's a big place. At night, though..." Ianto inched closer to Jack and the Captain wrapped and arm around his shoulders, pressing his lover to himself. Ianto looked up, his crystal blue eyes even shinier than usual on the moonlight, and an almost unnoticeable smile was curling his lips. "At night, there's no one, especially not in the twenty-third century, because the beach isn't guarded."

"So we've got the place to ourselves, then?" Jack asked and his tone apparently hadn't been as innocent as he'd thought, because Ianto chuckled. "Very much so, yeah. I can't really go back home, can I, and I decided that Wales was the next best thing."

"Did it work?" Ianto didn't say anything, so Jack continued, "It must have. You've still got the accent, after all."

Ianto stood up abruptly and offered his hand to Jack so he could follow him up. "It worked," he said and stood right in front of the Captain, taking hold of his coat and slowly taking it off his shoulders. "Not only the place, but also the swimming. So... you could join me, if you'd like?"

Jack nodded eagerly – it was an opportunity they hadn't had yet – and then followed the coat's path with a frown as Ianto dropped it on the beach. "Are you sure that it'll be okay there?"

Ianto laughed heartily. "I won't let the big bad waves do anything to The Coat, Jack," he said and just when Jack opened his mouth to protest against the mocking, he silenced him with a kiss. "Don't worry, it'll be okay." His next words mirrored Jack's thought not for the first time and the Captain wondered absent-mindedly whether Ianto's empathic powers weren't stronger than he made them up to be. "Now come here; we never really had the chance to go to the beach, did we?"

"No," Jack agreed. "We haven't. The Doctor–"

"– will do just fine without us for an hour or so," Ianto continued as they approached the water.

"I didn't mean that. How do we know that he won't just leave us here? I'm not sure he knows we're out."

Ianto turned around, suddenly worried. "He wouldn't!"

Jack shrugged. "He'd probably check before leaving, yeah. But... you wanna know a secret?" Ianto nodded just as Jack felt the cool water pooling around their ankles. "Right now, even if he leaves us here, I wouldn't mind too much."


	6. Chapter Six

**Author's Notes: Well, the angst fest begins. Sort of. I hope you like this one because the next four coming after it – this story will be in ten chapters – will be connected to it and, even though I don't want to leave a cliff-hanger again, the prompts force me to.**

**As for this exact prompt – I couldn't resist. I admit it freely, the first thing I thought about when I saw it was Melody Malone and, after I'd already planned Jack as the main narrator and Ianto as the protagonist, I just had to.**

_**Your protagonist wakes up in an unfamiliar bedroom. A silver necklace, a chipped wine glass, and a pile of old spy novels clutter the bedside table. Where is he? How did he get there?**_

When Ianto opened his eyes, the first thing he was the sky – though a rather dirty window. He sat up and looked around himself, blinking several times and trying to focus. The TARDIS didn't have any windows, so he had to be somewhere else. The room was empty when it came to people but otherwise, it was full of all kinds of curious objects that strangely reminded him of one of the mystery novels he remembered reading in the tourist office when he was bored.

Ianto looked at the nightstand and started rummaging through the rubbish that was piled there – mostly old detective novels, not unlike the ones he'd just thought of – and a wine glass that fell on the floor by the bed and broke as soon as he touched it. There was a silver necklace with an emerald in the middle of it and there was a fleeting hint of recognition. It disappeared before he could catch it, though, so he kept taking in his surroundings.

The bed he was currently lying in was a queen-sized four-poster one and the blankets under him were as luxurious as they could get. Ianto looked down at himself and realised that he was wearing a rather old-fashioned suit and that even his shoes were still on.

Ianto stood up and headed straight for the window, but the view he got didn't help much. He was in a side street, probably on the third floor; all the buildings around him were about the same height and neither of them did anything to hide the monument that gave away his location immediately.

"You're in New York." The voice was familiar but unexpected and Ianto spun on his heel to look at the bed that had been empty moments ago. "1938, to be precise."

River was sitting on the bed, dressed in a long black dress. She was paying him little mind and kept filing her nails as if she hadn't just appeared out of thin air. Ianto didn't question the sudden appearance, though; he was used to it when it came to her. When he didn't react in any way to her words, she smiled, then looked down at her clothes. "You know, it's good to finally leave that boring white thing behind. I'm Melody Malone, by the way."

"Okay," Ianto said slowly. He'd heard her use many names, but this was new. Well, at least the surname was. If she had told him the truth, then Melody was the name given to her by Amy and Rory. "How did we get here? Where are Jack and the Doctor?"

"The Doctor is..." She seemed to consider it for a moment. "Outside. With me."

"Oh. A future you?"

River's smile grew bigger. "It depends on who you're asking. River or Melody?"

Ianto contemplated the question and started going through the last few days in the same time. There was something... off about her behaviour. It wasn't like her. "Both," he decided at last.

"It's in the future for Melody and in the past for River," she said. There it was again. There was some strange glint in her eyes and Ianto started wondering if this wasn't some kind of shapeshifter. Why it would choose to abduct him to 1938's New York was beyond him, but then again, it wouldn't be the strangest thing that had happened to him.

"Isn't everything like that – in the future for Melody and past for River?" Ianto asked carefully, sitting back on the bed next to her. "Sorry, I can't remember anything. Where's Jack?" There did seem to be something wrong with his memory, Ianto decided. He had no idea when or why he'd got here, and he was also pretty sure that he'd asked about Jack already.

River seemed surprised by the question. "He's sleeping."

"Yes, but _where_?"

"Never mind that for a minute," she said impatiently and Ianto realised that she'd dropped the nail file by her side and had taken the necklace he'd seen minutes ago on the bedside table. She was playing with it distractedly and he suddenly remembered. _I was wondering how you would feel for a little bit of a mission in France before that? Pre-French revolution, but just barely. There's a necklace I want and I don't feel like robbing museums. _"Hey, isn't that the one we stole from Marie Antoinette?"

River nodded. "The very same one, yes. And I'll use it as your anchor."

"My what?"

"You need something to remember that we've met here. It's going to be important later."

Ianto laughed softly. "I don't think I'll ever forget it." Not only because it was a rather unusual situation, but also because she was beyond weird. "Are you feeling all right?"

"Yes." There was something manic about her smile. "Absolutely fine. The psychic link won't hold much more, though, so listen to me carefully."

"Psychic–"

"_Listen to be carefully_," River stressed and, when he nodded dutifully, kept going. "I couldn't get to the Doctor; your shields are strong, but not as good as his, so I want you to tell him that I have a message for him."

"Are you in trouble?" Ianto asked immediately. If she was using psychic links to contact them, it meant that everything else had failed. "Can't you contact us through the Vortex Manipulator?"

"I told you, I'm somewhere completely safe." She thought about her own words for a moment, then started laughing at some in-joke that Ianto couldn't understand. "Safe. Yeah, that's the right word. Now, the message. I want you to tell the Doctor that I think I've found a way out."

"Out from where?" Ianto asked, increasingly confused and frustrated by the lack of cooperation of his brain. It felt like the whole room was falling apart around him – not the building, but the reality itself. River seemed to notice it, too, because she started speaking faster. "The Doctor will explain everything, we don't have the time. Just tell him that, huh? Tell him not to worry. And, Ianto... since I didn't get the chance to say it last time... Goodbye."

Ianto could feel his blood freezing in his veins. "What?" he whispered, "River–"

"I'm sorry," River looked around them and Ianto followed her gaze to see that the world around them kept falling apart, "but you need to wake up now."

Ianto's eyes locked with hers and he was pretty sure that the panic was written on his face. "What do you mean?"

Without breaking the eye contact, River gripped his shoulders tightly. "Wake up, Ianto." Her voice was the focus of the whole Universe and yet it seemed more and more distant. "_Wake up_."

Suddenly everything around him shifted, changed and before Ianto could do something about it, he could already see Jack staring down at him, concerned as he hovered over him. "Ianto? Are you okay?"

Ianto nodded, feeling like he'd narrowly escaped death – adrenaline and numb shock were running through his system. "Yeah. I just... I had a really strange dream."

"Really? What about?"

Ianto frowned. "I can't remember." He felt like it was just on the back of his head; just out of reach. "It was something about... about a necklace." Marie Antoinette's necklace, his mind supplied and Ianto gasped as his dream came back to him in full force. _You need something to remember that we've met here. _"Wait! River..." Ianto looked at Jack, already on the brink of panic. "Where's the Doctor?"

"Outside," Jack said with a shrug. "What about River? You think something's happened to them?"

Ianto shook his head. "No, not exactly. But..." And suddenly he felt the TARDIS's consciousness wrapping around his own; her feeling into his head. Jack seemed to feel it too, because he frowned and looked at Ianto questioningly, silently asking what was going on. Not that Ianto could answer. He didn't understand the emotion that had suddenly filled him. Devastation and unbearable pain, and longing for something long lost; something the TARDIS had loved dearly.

Not something. Someone.

Ianto closed his eyes just as he realised where and when they had stopped. _The Doctor's outside with me and Jack is sleeping_. She hadn't been talking about the world in his dream; she'd been referring to the reality outside the little universe she'd brought him into.

"Yes," he said quietly, finally looking up at Jack. "Yes, something's happened."


	7. Chapter Seven

**Author's Notes: Like I said, here comes the angst. I altered the ending of the story a bit, even though it won't show from this chapter, because I decided that I want to leave you at least somewhat happy at the end of it all. The prompt could be connected to the last one – and also to the next one – so I'm saying goodbye to the one-shots in the story for a while – and, quite possibly, it'll be like that until the end of it.**

**For the time being, though, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well.**

_**Write about the colour of the sky the day she died.**_

The sun was just setting outside when Ianto and Jack ran out of the TARDIS, the Captain mostly following, because he wasn't completely sure what was going on. He only knew that Ianto was scared and that, for it to be that way, something terrible had to have happened.

They were standing on a field. The grass was blue and so were the leaves of the trees in the distance, but what really drew the eye were the two towers – both tall enough to look like they were reaching the sky – and the gentle, fading noise that seemed to be coming from them. Only now did Jack see that there were actually two suns, moving around one another with incredible speed as they neared the horizon and turning the otherwise light blue sky into a magnificent shadow play, but his attention turned elsewhere when Ianto stood next to him and voiced what they were both thinking. "The singing towers of Darillium."

The Doctor had told them the whole story. Ianto had asked once and – after making sure that River was nowhere around – he'd told them about the Library where he'd saved her and that, in her last moment, she had told him that the singing towers of Darillium had been their last meeting. The Doctor had been putting it off for ages, hoping to win them some more time, but Jack supposed that time had to take its course eventually.

Back then, he'd looked at Ianto and had seen the anger smouldering in his eyes. He could guess why – Jack didn't know River half as good as Ianto did, let alone the Doctor, but even he knew that being trapped in a computer would be a much worse fate for her than death. He couldn't blame the Doctor, though; after all, he hadn't even known her back then.

Jack nodded reluctantly. "That has to be it." He wanted to lie and wished he had when he saw that even the last flicker of hope died in Ianto's eyes, but there would have been no point. Ianto knew. He had always known, of course, but looking at it was different. Jack eyed him sideways and the expression on his lover's face was enough to break his heart as well. He hadn't seen that expression for a long time; the last memory of it being a horrible night two years ago. The Captain had been the one to blame then, or at least it had been that way in Ianto's eyes, but now there was no one, nothing to blame, and that made it even worse.

"Ianto..." Jack murmured, reaching out to touch Ianto's shoulder, but the man turned around abruptly and went back into the TARDIS before Jack could really do anything, the door closing behind him with terrible finality.

**o.O.o**

It wasn't until nearly a day later – when the Doctor had calmed down a bit and had joined the Captain in the search of Ianto – that Jack found him lurking in the greenhouse of the TARDIS, quietly picking up some yellow plants that seemed to be some sort of herbs. The focus with which he was doing it was more than enough to show that the action was mainly performed so he could stop the hysteria that was probably building up inside him and Jack neared him carefully, dropping a hand on his back to let him know that he had arrived.

Ianto flinched and turned around, startled despite the silent warning, and Jack saw – not without some surprise – that there were no tracks of tears on his face. Actually, his expression didn't give anything away save for polite interest.

His eyes, though, made the Captain freeze and bite back the words that had been on his lips. No matter how much he was trying to hide it, Ianto had been unable to conceal the sorrow shining from them now. The gunmetal blue eyes that Jack loved looking at so much had lost their light and, after Ianto schooled his features, even the pain was gone from them, leaving them glassy and unseeing. "You found me," he acknowledged, still completely neutral, then busied himself with the herbs once again. Jack let out a deep sigh.

"Of course I did." He said. There was no response and he felt somehow obligated to add, "And... I'm sorry."

Once again, there was no reaction and then Ianto asked, his voice sharper than it had been seconds ago, "About what?"

"About... her. You couldn't even say a proper goodbye." Ianto had told him about his dream hastily as they'd got dressed and got out of the TARDIS when Jack had asked to be given at least the basic details of what they were looking for and the Captain was still a bit puzzled about it. He wasn't sure what River's message could have meant except for finding a way out of the Library, but he hadn't passed it to the Doctor yet – and neither had Ianto. On Jack's side it was because he didn't want to give him false hopes, and from Ianto's it probably had more to do with the fact that he hadn't actually seen the Doctor since they'd came back in the TARDIS and had been hiding here instead.

Ianto stood up straight again, this time looking at Jack. "You know, five years of living on Earth and I never got that about humans. Your constant insistence to apologise for things that aren't your fault."

Jack was just about to apologise again as he thought Ianto's words through, and felt himself getting a bit reeled up. Ianto had this habit – Jack wasn't sure if he'd picked it up from the Doctor or if it was just a Time Lord thing, because they were all self-absorbed bastards – of separating himself from humanity every once in a while when he was pissed off, even if it wasn't necessarily at a human. "I know it's not my fault; I didn't_ kill_ her," he snapped, then realised his mistake when Ianto's eyes widened in shock, but a part of him cherished it – at least it was a reaction. It didn't last long; as soon as Ianto put himself together, he closed himself off again. "I was trying to help."

Ianto laughed humourlessly. "You can't help me, Jack. No one can help me. She's dead." Jack could see that Ianto was trying to say the name, but couldn't find the will to do it and the Captain saw the facade finally break and crumble apart and found himself staring at Ianto's saw in its most naked state he had ever seen it in. He'd been letting more and more of himself show lately, yes, but Jack couldn't remember anything like this – anything quite so devastating and overwhelming and finally understood the quote Ianto had once thrown at him. _We only see starlight because all the stars are bleeding_. He was looking at Ianto as he had never seen him before and it was tragic and beautiful and too much, and he could see why he'd been holding back on him. He'd probably known that jack would have been unable to take it. "No one can help me," he repeated and his voice was one of a child – lost and alone and hopeless.

Without saying a word, Jack pressed him closer to his body, letting Ianto bury his head in his shoulder as he saw Ianto crying for the second time since he'd known him.


	8. Chapter Eight

**Author's Notes: Well, the angsty part is nearly over now. I feel like the prompts were good for it, so I included it, but I have two more chapters and I'm finished with the story – and I think they're going to be on the more happy side. This chapter is rather short, but I don't have a lot of time right now so I thought I'd make it not too wordy, but still worth it, so I hope you like it.**

_**Write about the things you wish you had the courage to say.**_

During the next few days, Ianto went back to normal, more or less. Jack managed to get him out of the greenhouse and into the open, but there was still something that worried him. Ianto was behaving like usual most of the time – he still liked the adventures they had together, he constantly tried messing about with things that went horribly wrong afterwards, but when Jack looked at him, something looked out of place. It was his eyes, the Captain decided after nearly a week had passed. That undying spark that fuelled Ianto's enthusiasm for everything was gone.

Jack remembered the first weeks after they'd come in the TARDIS. He had desperately wanted his old, human Ianto back instead of this overly cheerful hyperactive stranger, but now that Ianto had lost what had made him who he was, Jack realised that he couldn't stand it for too long without going insane. It was frustrating and he couldn't even tell Ianto to stop it because he couldn't voice what 'it' was and, if he tried speaking to Ianto of it, the frustration would only grow because of the lack of answers he'd get.

There were so many things he wanted to say, and so little inclination to actually do it. He didn't want to upset Ianto even further, but he wanted to tell him that he didn't have to punish himself for what had happened. That River wouldn't have wanted him to stop living just because she had died. He knew that it was selfish, but he also wanted to say that he was tired of fighting for Ianto with ghosts, but–

"I don't see what Lisa has to do with this." Ianto's voice was cold and clear and Jack nearly jumped at the sudden appearance of it. He'd been contemplating entering the room Ianto was in for the last few minutes and, apparently, Ianto had had some entertainment. Jack frowned. "Get out of my head."

Ianto's lips curled into a small smile, but the rest of him wasn't really into it. "I haven't even _been_ in your head. You were basically screaming."

Jack cleared his throat and looked down, now unable to say anything that he'd been given the chance, when he registered the first words Ianto had said, then snapped, "I wasn't talking about Lisa."

Confusion crossed Ianto's features for a moment before comprehension dawned on his face. "Oh." Because really, Jack thought – and hoped that it was a quieter one this time – it wouldn't be the first time he'd fight ghosts for Ianto's love. It was easy to get confused. "You don't have to fight anyone, Jack. She's dead. And plus, I've never really–"

"Don't give me that," Jack interrupted quickly. "Just don't. Just for once – just for the hell of it – at least be honest with yourself."

Ianto stared at him, startled, then nodded. "Okay, then. You're right. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Jack had been prepared for it, so the answer was ready. "Yes, actually. Close your eyes." Ianto frowned and seemed ready to object, but Jack didn't give him the chance. "No, you're not going to say a thing this time. Just close that big mouth of yours and listen to me for a change."

Ianto still looked a bit lost, but complied anyway and Jack soundlessly moved behind his back, carefully placing his hands on Ianto's shoulders.

"I want you to imagine – to remember – her laughing. Imagine she's right here, looking the happiest you've ever seen her. Can you do that?" Ianto nodded quietly and a shiver ran through his body. "It hurts, doesn't it?" Jack's tone was soft and he had lowered his voice without even realising it. "It hurts, because you know you'll never see it again. But you have to keep doing it anyway."

"Why?" Ianto's voice was choked, but he didn't make any movement to break out of Jack's grip.

"Because that way, she'll never have to die. Not for you. Don't remember the bad things; remember the best because in the end it's all you have left." He turned Ianto around and the man opened his eyes. "You asked me once how can I take that. How can I watch everyone around me die and then keep going. There isn't any big secret to it. You can't bring the person back, but you can remember the best of them. You can keep the memories alive forever and that way, she'll always be with you. It's okay," he said hastily when Ianto looked like he might try to apologise. "You don't need to say anything; I know how it feels. And I can't promise you that it gets better, because it doesn't. But it gets easier." And I'll be with you every step of the way, Jack added mentally. It wasn't that he didn't feel ready to say it out loud – this time, it was because he knew that Ianto would know it even without hearing the words.

"Thank you," Ianto said, voice quiet and also gentler than Jack had heard it being in days. The Time Lord looked up, his eyes meeting the Captain's. "Thank you for going through this with me. I know that it's not easy for you either."

"I'm fine," Jack assured quickly. It wasn't a lie. To him, River had been a friend, and not even a close one at that, but to Ianto she had been much more. The first person – as far as Jack was aware, anyway – that had known who Ianto actually was, and not only that. They had been next to each other in a rather exhausting journey, and Jack knew better than anyone else what it meant to leave a journey like that alone, because your companion hadn't made it that far. "It's okay and I understand. There's only one thing I want to ask you... don't ever do that to me again."

Ianto's brow furrowed in confusion. "Do what?"

"Act like a... human. You scared the hell out of me."

The look Ianto gave him was somewhere between amusement and bewilderment. "I thought you liked me better then," he said at last. "You know. I've always assumed that... that you were still hoping that I'll end up back in starting position in the end."

Jack shook his head and drew Ianto into a hug. "Maybe at the beginning, yes. But not now – not ever. It took a while to realise that this–" He gestured in Ianto's general direction. "– is still you, but you're happy now. And I know that River wouldn't want you to lose that."

"No, she wouldn't," Ianto agreed with a small smile, his eyes wandering around before focusing on the floor. "Life gave her lemons and before you could blink she was already passing round the lemonade."

"Tell you what," Jack said when comfortable silence settled between them. "Stop hiding about here. Come out."

"Where are we going?" Ianto asked, lifting his head and Jack was delighted to see that the spark of curiosity was back. The Captain shrugged.

"Not really sure. I asked the Doctor to pick us a place. He said that it's beautiful outside and also that it's night time and that there's a constellation that will be clearly visible tonight – I forgot the name – and that he thought you'd like it." Ianto had always preferred to go out at night and, if he wasn't an alien already, Jack would suspect him of vampirism.

"I'm all for it, then," Ianto said, taking Jack's hand, taking a deep breath, looking as if he was either going on an adventure or into a battle. It was probably, Jack thought, a little of both. "Let's go and see the stars."


	9. Chapter Nine

**Author's Notes: So this one is over as well. This is going to be the last chapter and I like to think that I did it justice; I was satisfied with the ending. As a celebratory measure I even used the prompt in a good way – well, sort of. Jack is still the narrator so we hear the words from his point of view and I like to think that you'll be able to guess which five words are the ones he'll be the most happy to hear.  
Just to clarify – the conversation isn't psychic; it's verbal, but I've put it in italics because it's in multiple different languages.**

**Anyway, on to the story now. I'm sorry that it took so long – I took too many challenges in too many fandoms at once and so I ended up writing several fics at once – and I hope you enjoy the chapter! Feedback is appreciated as usual.**

_**List the five most beautiful words you've ever heard.**_

Sometimes, when they didn't have the courage to talk to each other eye to eye, he and Ianto would resort to alien languages. They'd been doing it before, when they had still been on Earth, and the TARDIS helpfully turned the translation off now and left them on their own when they decided that they wanted it.

Sometimes, it had been simple stuff; not even ones they wouldn't say to each other otherwise. Sometimes they'd even repeat them in English if they felt like it, especially if it had been something mundane like, _We'll really be late if we don't get up_ or _We're out of milk, can you get some? _or even small signs of attention and tenderness that would usually remain either unsaid or unnoticed. Jack sometimes thought that Ianto understood him and worried that they've learned the same language at some point, but his lover had never really reacted drastically to anything, so there was no trouble with it.

Right now, they were both lying in bed and, even though several more days had passed, Jack knew that the grief and the detachment Ianto was going through hadn't lessened as much as he would have liked them to. The man was doing his best and, while Jack appreciated the effort, he also wanted to pull him out of this.

"_Ha ni layassa_," he said, drawing circles on Ianto's palm with his thumb. The language was really obscure – used by one single small human colony a million light years away and Jack wouldn't have even stumbled upon it if it hadn't been the mission from the Time Agency that had sent him there. _Wish I could help_, his message said, and Ianto must have guessed it – or at least guessed the feeling behind it – because he smiled softly, his blue eyes filled with more warmth than Jack had ever seen in them.

The Time Lord got closer to him without moving around too much and placed a kiss on his cheek, murmuring a short sentence that Jack couldn't quite catch. The Captain strongly suspected that the TARDIS was cheating ad helping them anyway – there was no other reason why they could generally understand one another even when they chickened out of the actual conversation. _You _are_ helping_, or something along those lines was what Ianto was trying to tell him, and Jack recognised the language even though he had never been able to speak it – it was the language used by a race of crab-like creatures with incredibly thick armours that inhabited Pluto in the sixty-ninth century. How and under what circumstances Ianto had needed to learn said language was a mystery, but Jack didn't push it. Mornings like these weren't about questions.

He remembered a similar occasion while they'd still worked in Torchwood. They'd been in Ianto's flat on a Sunday morning, both reluctant to get up. The only difference was that, while Ianto's room here was all satin and wood and mahogany, his bedroom in his flat had been pretty simple and – most importantly – there had been windows. Jack had been able to see the way Ianto leaned against the bed frame without the lamp they needed in the TARDIS; he'd seen the way his long eyelashes threw shadows over his sharp cheekbones as Ianto enjoyed the rare sunlight that Cardiff was willing to accept. Back then, Jack had said on his first foreign language – the one of Amphibios – 23, which had been their neighbouring colony – something very simple. _You're beautiful_. Just that, but Ianto had apparently understood him, because he had flashed him a brilliant smile and said, in plain old English, "You too". It had been a rare moment of understanding amongst the million things that weighted unsaid between them, and the Captain had enjoyed it immensely.

Bringing him back into the present, Ianto said in a language that Jack understood clearly - it was a universal one for the whole Gordinian System, so he'd studied it carefully – _I don't want you to be afraid of me. _There was a pause in which Jack didn't object but didn't agree either. _I'm not some sort of god. You don't need to put up with me if you don't want to_.

_It's not about putting up with you_, Jack assured him in the language of his home planet. Ianto frowned, but didn't say anything and the Captain knew why – he was trying to learn the language of Boeshane Peninsula. It wasn't like the TARDIS couldn't translate for him; he was doing it mostly because Jack could speak it. _I'm used to it_, Jack added rather bitterly, not even sure that his lover could understand him. You're a Time Lord. _I think it's in your blood to break my heart._

_I do, don't I? _Ianto said in the same language. It wasn't perfect and his accent rolled the words in a way Jack had never heard them before, but it was also incredibly endearing and he found himself smiling.

Ianto got even closer to him than before but this time locked the Captain's eyes with his own and said, in a language Jack had never heard before – a complicated one that sounded older than time itself, the language of greatness and glory and so many other things that he felt like he didn't have the right to hear it, so he supposed that it was the lost language of the Time Lords, the words Jack had wanted to hear all his life without even realising it and he was quite sure that the TARDIS was helping him here because he understood them perfectly despite everything.

_Take one of mine, then._


End file.
